In an information society, the worker owns his or her tools (i.e., skills and knowledge)
You can't even install a non-Internet Explorer browser on a lot of work computers because IT considers it unsafe. You don't even have full control of the software you bought. And if management decides you're using new software tomorrow that you think sucks - fuck you, you'll learn to love it.
Also the most important part of worker alienation isn't from the tools - it's from the products. You can't afford what you're making or you can't control what you're making - whether it's ethical, honest, safe. You're a tiny replaceable cog doing a boring task, working toward a goal you don't like, and most profits go to people who did none of the work. You have to be blind or on happy pills to not see that this is true for workers today.
You can't even install a non-Internet Explorer browser on a lot of work computers because IT considers it unsafe. You don't even have full control of the software you bought. And if management decides you're using new software tomorrow that you think sucks - fuck you, you'll learn to love it.
Also the most important part of worker alienation isn't from the tools - it's from the products. You can't afford what you're making or you can't control what you're making - whether it's ethical, honest, safe. You're a tiny replaceable cog doing a boring task, working toward a goal you don't like, and most profits go to people who did none of the work. You have to be blind or on happy pills to not see that this is true for workers today.
Also with so many apps, you don't actually have ownership of them; you just have permission to download and use them